That's harsh, but they're not quite in Uday Hussien territory yet: after a bad intl. performance, he once locked up a team of very tall Iraqi volleyballers in a room too small to sit down in...with a five-foot ceiling. Until the blood vessels in their legs exploded.

That's harsh, but they're not quite in Uday Hussien territory yet: after a bad intl. performance, he once locked up a team of very tall Iraqi volleyballers in a room too small to sit down in...with a five-foot ceiling. Until the blood vessels in their legs exploded.

(allegedly, of course: I wasn't there)

All it would take for me would be the threat of peanut butter or an egg sandwich, I'd be speeding past Bolt like he was running with his pants round his ankles.

Seriously though, why invite NK to the Olympics at all? They want isolation, give them isolation. I feel sorry for these automatons that are sent to perform solely for the glory of a megalomaniac dynastic despot, and the chance to enjoy a lifestyle denied to their countrymen as a result of that despotism.

Their devotion to success in the Olympics was to show the world that China was capable and powerful. Instead they just make me shake my head every four years and think, "We're better than you are".

This sort of thing was going in China long before they were interested in the Olympics, and still goes on today in many domaines not related to Olympic performance. Like it or not, it is indeed a cultural difference.

This sort of thing was going in China long before they were interested in the Olympics, and still goes on today in many domaines not related to Olympic performance. Like it or not, it is indeed a cultural difference.

I'd concur. It's customary for Japanese athletes to apologise in front of the cameras to the folks back home for their failure to win golds, especially in sports such as judo where they are expected to win by default. A few of my Japanese friends have said this places too much of a burden on the athletes, the result being they under-perform. In a 'shame' culture such as Japan's there is different criteria by which success or failure is judged. East Asian cultures also privilege the group over the individual, individual success means 'group' success, likewise failure means the shame has to be shared by the group. Result: failure on an international stage like the Olympics reflects directly and tangibly on the nation's self image.

yes, I imagine

Originally Posted by sir duke

I'd concur. It's customary for Japanese athletes to apologise in front of the cameras to the folks back home for their failure to win golds, especially in sports such as judo where they are expected to win by default. A few of my Japanese friends have said this places too much of a burden on the athletes, the result being they under-perform. In a 'shame' culture such as Japan's there is different criteria by which success or failure is judged. East Asian cultures also privilege the group over the individual, individual success means 'group' success, likewise failure means the shame has to be shared by the group. Result: failure on an international stage like the Olympics reflects directly and tangibly on the nation's self image.

the cultural pressure cracks a lot of them. sad.

did you watch the 100 meter final, the Japanese runner was better out of the blocks than any of them
he lead for about the first 30 meters

did you watch the 100 meter final, the Japanese runner was better out of the blocks than any of them
he lead for about the first 30 meters

I didn't see the final (it went off at nearly 5.00am local time). I wasn't aware any Japanese runner had made the final (maybe it was the qualifiers), if a Japanese man had led the field over the first 30 metres you can bet the while nation would be talking about it. There have been a few pretty good Japanese sprinters over the years, they often make a good showing in the sprint relays.
Actually Bolt was as good as competing on home soil, with the number of people of Jamaican descent in the UK, especially in the London area, the stadium was awash with green and gold. I'd probably have been one of them, my father is Jamaican. Not that I'm biased.

yes it was the semis I think

Originally Posted by sir duke

I didn't see the final (it went off at nearly 5.00am local time). I wasn't aware any Japanese runner had made the final (maybe it was the qualifiers), if a Japanese man had led the field over the first 30 metres you can bet the while nation would be talking about it. There have been a few pretty good Japanese sprinters over the years, they often make a good showing in the sprint relays.
Actually Bolt was as good as competing on home soil, with the number of people of Jamaican descent in the UK, especially in the London area, the stadium was awash with green and gold. I'd probably have been one of them, my father is Jamaican. Not that I'm biased.

was a great start

yes, London is full of Jamaicans, which explains so many great British Reggae groups